village
1 Americannoun
-
a small community or group of houses in a rural area, larger than a hamlet and usually smaller than a town, and sometimes (as in parts of the U.S.) incorporated as a municipality.
-
the inhabitants of such a community collectively.
-
a group of animal dwellings resembling a village.
a gopher village.
adjective
noun
noun
-
a small group of houses in a country area, larger than a hamlet
-
the inhabitants of such a community collectively
-
an incorporated municipality smaller than a town in various parts of the US and Canada
-
a group of habitats of certain animals
-
a self-contained city area having its own shops, etc
-
(modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of a village
a village green
Related Words
See community.
Other Word Forms
- intervillage adjective
- village-like adjective
- villageless adjective
- villagey adjective
- villagy adjective
Etymology
Origin of village
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin villāticum, neuter of villāticus villatic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Birgitta Trotzig’s novella, a young woman’s toughness in the face of poverty and heartbreak sets her apart from her village peers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Influencer houses, swag bags, a Super Bowl-esque media day and an outside tournament village.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
"Everyone here votes Fidesz," said Nikki, 32, in Tiszabö, a village of 2,000 inhabitants, with a large Roma majority, in the northern Great Plain region of Hungary.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Orban has repeatedly made overtures to rural communities, claiming that for his government "the village is not the past, but the future".
From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026
"And his mother and father were born in Womengo. Their mothers and fathers were born in Womengo. It is sad that we will not see our village ever again."
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.